Housing as an I/O device

ABSTRACT

There are provided systems, devices and methods for operating a housing for an electronic device as an input/output (I/O) device. In one embodiment, an electronic device includes a housing configured to function as an integrated housing and I/O device and one or more sensors obscured by a panel of the housing. The one or more sensors being configured to sense via the panel of the housing. The electronic device further includes a processing unit communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors and configured to interpret electrical signals generated by the one or more sensors. One or more output devices are communicatively coupled to the processing unit and configured to provide an output in response to the one or more sensors generating an electrical signal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The following related applications are hereby incorporated by referencein their entirety and for all purposes: “Sensing Capacitance changes ofa Housing of an Electronic Device,” Ser. No. 12/542,354 and “ElectronicDevice Housing as Acoustic Input Device,” Ser. No. 12/542,386. Both werefiled on the same day as the instant application.

BACKGROUND

I. Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to electronic devices and, moreparticularly, to housings of electronic devices providing input/output(I/O) functionality.

II. Background Discussion

Electronic devices such as desktop computers, notebook computers,personal digital assistants, cell phones and mobile media devices havebecome ubiquitous in today's society. They serve as work tools,communication devices and provide entertainment, among other things.Generally, the “brains” and operative parts of electronic devices areenclosed in housings made of plastic, metal and/or glass that mayprovide an aesthetically pleasing appearance. Typically, however, thehousings simply provide structural integrity to the devices and protectpotentially sensitive component parts of the electronic devices fromexternal influences.

Users generally interact with electronic devices through discreteinput/output (I/O) devices such as a keyboard, mouse, camera, monitor,printer, and so forth. In some instances, I/O devices are located atleast partially within the housing and accessible through openings inthe housing. For example, portable computing devices such as notebookcomputers typically provide a keyboard and trackpad secured to thehousing and accessible to a user through cutouts in the housing. Inother instances, I/O devices may be external to the housing andcommunicatively coupled to the electronic device either wirelessly or bywired means.

SUMMARY

Certain embodiments may take the form of housings for electronic deviceswith integrated I/O and related methods. For example, in one embodiment,an electronic device includes a housing configured to function as anintegrated housing and I/O device and one or more sensors obscured by awall of the housing. The one or more sensors may be configured to senseinputs, such as through a touch or via the wall of the housing. Theelectronic device further includes a processing unit communicativelycoupled to the one or more sensors and configured to interpretelectrical signals generated by the one or more sensors. One or moreoutput devices may be communicatively coupled to the processing unit andconfigured to provide an output in response to the one or more sensorsgenerating an electrical signal.

Another embodiment takes the form of an electronic device housing havinga wall with at least one exposed surface and an interior surface. One ormore sensors are positioned within the housing and proximate to thewall's interior surface in order to sense user interactions with theexposed surface and generate electrical signals based on theinteractions. A controller is communicatively coupled to the one or moresensors and may interpret the electrical signals as and electronicdevice input. The controller may also generate an output signal.Additionally, at least one output device is positioned within thehousing and communicatively coupled to the controller to receive theoutput signal. In response to receiving the output signal, the at leastone output device provides output via the housing.

Yet another embodiment may take the form of or include an electronicdevice housing having one or more walls configured to house anelectronic device wherein the one or more walls are configured tooperate as an input/output (I/O) device. The one or more walls areexternally exposed. The one or more walls may be made of microperforatedmaterial. In other embodiments, the one or more walls may be made ofplastic, glass or other material that is not microperforated. Aproximity sensor is positioned within an interior of the housing andproximate to the one or more walls. The proximity sensor is configuredto sense user input via the one or more walls. A processor is coupled tothe proximity sensor and configured to process electrical signalsgenerated by the proximity sensor. Additionally, at least one lightemitting diode may be positioned within the interior of the housing andproximate to the one or more walls. The at least one light emittingdiode is actuated by the processor in response to the electrical signalsgenerated by the proximity sensor.

Yet another embodiment may take the form of a method of operating anelectronic device. The electronic device may have one or more surfacesconfigured to provide housing I/O functionality and the method includesoperating a proximity sensor to determine when objects are proximatelylocated to one or more housing I/O surfaces the device. The proximitysensor is obscured at least in part by the housing of the electronicdevice and senses through the housing of the electronic device. One ormore output devices may be actuated in response to the proximity sensorgenerating a signal indicating and object being proximately located tothe one or more housing I/O surfaces. The one or more output devices areobscured by the housing of the electronic device and provide output viathe housing of the electronic device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of a housing I/O interface.

FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of an electronic deviceimplementing the housing I/O interface of FIG. 1 and convention inputand output devices.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for operating the electronicdevice of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates a portable computing device with a housing thatprovides I/O functionality.

FIG. 5 is a simplified block diagram of the portable computing deviceillustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of sensors and actuators that may beimplemented in the portable computing device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a technique for operating the housingof the portable computing device of FIG. 5 as an I/O device.

FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate a partial side-view of the housing of theportable computing device of FIG. 4.

FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrates an embodiment configured to sense a radiofrequency identification tag located on a connector.

FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrates a portable computing device having avirtual keyboard in accordance with an embodiment.

FIGS. 11A-11C are cross-sectional views of sensor/actuator packages thatmay generally be related to the portable computing device of FIG. 10A.

FIG. 12A-12B illustrates a tablet computing device and a cross-sectionalview of the device in accordance with an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Generally, one embodiment takes the form of an electronic device housingproviding I/O functionality. That is, the user interface forms part ofthe housing and the housing receives input and/or provides output forthe device. Hence, the housing is part of the I/O system and certaininputs and/or outputs are not separate mechanisms from the housing. Inparticular, one or more surfaces of a housing are configured to acceptuser input and/or provide output when the device and/or the surface(s)is actuated. When not actuated, however, the surface(s) appears andfunctions like other surfaces of the housing that are not configured toprovide I/O functionality. Specifically, the housing is configured toenclose and protect internal components as well as form the ornamentalappearance of the device. It should be clear that the housing is the I/Oand not a mechanism built through an opening in the housing. Hence, thesensors are obscured by the housing and visually imperceptible on outersurfaces of the housing. The surfaces of the housing receive and provideI/O. The I/O are no longer separate mechanisms situated in the housing.

In one embodiment, with regards to input, the housing is configured withone or more sensors. The sensors may be coupled directly to the housing,within the housing, or adjacent to a surface of the housing. The sensorsare provided internal the outer periphery of the housing thus notimpacting the surfaces of the housing. Specifically, the sensors arewithin the walls of the housing, adjacent an inner surface of thehousing or contained within the volume of the housing like otherinternal components. User actions such as approaching, touching,tapping, holding, and/or squeezing may be detected and interpreted bythe device as input. Using the sensors, the housing may be capable ofproximity sensing, touch sensing, pressure sensing, and the like. Thus,the housing may be referred to and act as an input device. Varioussensing technologies can be combined to provide enhanced inputs. Forexample, accelerometers may be used in combination with other sensingtechnology previously mentioned.

With regards to output, in one embodiment, the housing may be configuredwith display elements, such as light emitters, and/or haptic actuators,which can be associated with the sensors mentioned above. The lightemitters may provide light to surfaces of the housing. In someembodiments, the surface of the housing may be made of microperforatedmaterial which may serve as the housing and which can cover an extendedsurface, i.e., an entire back surface of a housing, the entire enclosuresurface, or specific locations about the surface of the housing. Thehaptic actuators may be located within the housing and providevibration, pulse feedback, or other haptic feedback.

One or more specific embodiments are described in greater detail belowwith reference to the drawings and in the context of a computer system.However, the disclosed embodiments should not be interpreted orotherwise used as limiting the scope of the disclosure, including theclaims. In addition, one skilled in the art will understand that thefollowing description has broad application and the discussion of anyparticular embodiment is meant only to be exemplary and is not intendedto suggest that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, islimited to these embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of a housing I/O interface 200having a housing wall 202. As shown, the housing wall 202 defines anouter surface 204, which may help form an exterior portion of anelectronic device, and an inner surface 206, which may help form aninterior portion of the electronic device. One or more housing inputelements 208 are disposed within the outer periphery or exterior portionof the electronic device. By way of example, the one or more housingelements 208 may be disposed within the space defined by multiple walls(not shown), adjacent the walls, and/or embedded within an inner portionof the walls. The housing input element configuration may not affect theexterior portion of the housing wall 202 thereby keeping the sensorssubstantially hidden. The housing input element 208 may be situated at aportion of a wall, an entire wall, or multiple walls. Thus, the housinginput element 208 may define an active area that may be over an extendedsurface of the wall 202, i.e., the entire back surface, the entireenclosure surface and/or select areas, i.e., specific locations aboutthe surface of the housing. Furthermore, the active area may belocalized or short range (touch or near touch) or extended or long range(substantially away from the surface). Specifically, the housing inputelement 208 is configured to receive external data via the wall 202. Assuch, input directed at an active area of the wall 202 is registered bythe housing input element 208.

The housing input element 208 may be widely varied. For example, thehousing input element 208 may correspond to touch sensors, pressuresensors, proximity sensors, etc. As such, the housing input element 208may be interchangeably referred to as sensor or sensors. The housinginput element 208 may operate alone or in conjunction with other sensorsand/or input devices to extract the desired information from thesurroundings of the electronic device. The sensors are configured tointeract at the exterior portion or outside the outer periphery of theelectronic device and generate electrical signals correlative with theinteractions. The electrical signals generated by the housing inputelement 208 are provided to a controller 210 that is configured tointerpret the electrical signals as input to the electronic device. Thecontroller 210 may generate an output signal in response to the input.The output signal may be provided to an housing output element 212. Thehousing output element 212 may be disposed within the outer periphery orexterior portion of the electronic device and configured to provideoutput via the wall 202. The housing output element 212 may includedisplay elements, such as light emitters, haptic actuators, speakersetc.

The housing I/O interface 200 may be implemented in a variety ofelectronic devices including, but not limited to, portable computingdevices, cell phones, televisions, personal computers, smart phones,personal digital assistants, media players, appliances such asrefrigerators, microwave ovens, etc. and any other suitable electronicdevice. As such, although the description included herein may includesome specific embodiments and may be related to particular functions, itshould be understood that the housing I/O interface may be implementedin a wade variety of device and may perform a variety of functionsbeyond the embodiments specifically described herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates a simplified block diagram of an electronic device214 implementing the housing I/O interface of FIG. 1. As shown, theelectronic device 214 may include traditional input devices 216 andoutput devices 218 that may operate concurrently with the housing inputelement 208 and housing output element 212. The controller 210 may beconfigured to receive the inputs from the input devices 216 and theinput elements 218, and may provide control signals to the outputelement 212 and the output devices 218. The traditional input devices216 may include, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a trackpad, etc. andthe traditional output devices 218 may include, for example, a monitor,a speaker, etc. It should be understood that while appropriateaccommodations (i.e. apertures, etc.) may located within the housing ofthe electronic device 214 for the conventional input and output devices216 and 218, the surface of the device housing over the input element208 and output element 212 is solid with no breaks. As such, the inputelement 208 and output element 212 are obscured by the surface and thesurface appears to be a non-functional wall of the housing of theelectronic device.

The information obtained from the one or more sensors of the inputelement 208 may be used to perform actions in the electronic device 214.Thus, the sensor and housing may be referred to as a housing userinterface or housing input device. As should be appreciated, useractions such as approaching (proximity), touching, tapping, holding,squeezing relative to the housing may be used by the electronic device214 to perform actions. Additionally, when combined together, these useractions can provide different levels of user input. For example,proximity may initiate a first user input, touching may initiate asecond user input, and squeezing may initiate a third user input. Ofcourse, sensor inputs may be combined to form a single input (e.g.,proximity+touch=first signal, touch+squeeze=second signal,holding+orientation=third signal, etc.). Furthermore, the user actionsthat are interpreted as input by the housing I/O interface may becombined or otherwise used in conjunction with the input device 216and/or output device 218 to provide an appropriate feedback or responseto the user input.

The location of the sensors may be placed at strategic locations. Forexample, in one embodiment, sensors associated with adjusting sound maybe placed proximate speakers, or sensors associated with light output ofa display may be placed proximate the display or sensors associated withconnectors may be placed proximate the connectors. In one embodiment, atap on the housing surface near the speaker area of the electronicdevice may change the balance or volume of the speaker(s). In oneembodiment, by touching a housing surface in the vicinity of a camera, auser may be able to turn on/off the camera as for example for a videoconference (e.g., iChat). Basically, location based controls that arehidden from view can be created.

In one embodiment, a proximity sensor or touch sensor may be placed neara feedback indicator such as a sleep indicator. When a user approachesand/or touches, the sleep indicator or area around the sleep indicator,the electronic device may initiate a sleep or wake function. Forexample, if the electronic device is already in sleep, the user actionmay cause the computer to wake (or vice versa).

In one embodiment, a proximity or touch sensor may be used to detectareas around a group of connectors so that the connectors can beidentified via a feedback mechanism (e.g., port identification). Thefeedback mechanism may be implemented via a display that identifies thenearby connector and possibly instructs the user to whichcable/connector should be used, i.e., if the user places their fingernear a USB connector, the display may present a window that indicates“USB”. Alternatively or additionally, the housing may include indicatorsthat present this information (see below). Alternatively oradditionally, the feedback may be provided through speakers via a voicethat says “USB”.

In one embodiment, if large parts of the housing surface are touchenabled. A location context based user interface may be established. Forexample, if a user touches a surface an action may be applied to theclosest enabled control. For example, touching near a power button maybe interpreted as power button control, so a single touch may put thedevice to sleep while a double touch may turn it off.

In one embodiment, squeezing the device may be used as a control. Forexample, squeezing the device may be used to adjust the volume up anddown. The actual control function may be associated with an applicationcurrently running on the device. For example, if the user is listeningto music, then a squeeze may be used to adjust volume while if the useris reading something a squeeze may be used to zoom in and out. In oneembodiment, squeezing left side of housing means one thing, whilesqueezing left means another thing. For example, squeezing the left handside may decrease volume and squeezing the right hand side may increasevolume.

In one embodiment, sensing where the user is holding a device anddetermining the orientation via an accelerometer or the like, the userinterface may be rotated so that it is properly orientated for the user.

The electronic device 214 may be configured to provide output and/orfeedback to a user. For example, in some cases this may be throughconventional output devices 218 such as displays, speakers, etc.. Inother cases, this may be provided via the housing of the electronicdevice using through the output elements 212. By way of example, theoutput elements 212 may be disposed within the space defined by thewalls of the electronic device 214, adjacent the walls, and/or embeddedwithin an inner portion of the walls. The elements 212 configuration maynot affect the exterior portion of the housing of the electronic device214, thereby keeping the elements 212 substantially hidden. The elements212 may be situated at a portion of a wall, an entire wall, or multiplewalls of the electronic device 14.

The output elements 212 may work alone or in conjunction with otheroutput elements (such as the conventional output device 218) to providethe desired information to the surroundings of the electronic device. Incases where the housing is used to output information, the outputelement and housing may be referred to as a housing user interface orhousing output device. When integrated with housing, the output elementsactive area may be over an extended surface of the wall portion, i.e.,the entire back surface, the entire enclosure surface and/or selectareas, i.e., specific locations about the surface of the housing.

Like the sensors 208, the location of the output elements 212 may beplaced at strategic locations. For example, output elements 212associated with inputs may be placed proximate the input area. In oneembodiment, a display element, such as a light emitter, may be locatednear a control actuators for devices, such as speakers for example. Thelight emitter may actuate when the speakers are operating to indicatethat the speakers are operating. Additionally, the light emitters mayindicate a volume of the speakers based on the intensity of the lightemitted or, alternatively, by illuminating a larger area of the surfaceunder which the light emitters are obscured.

In one embodiment, the housing surface may provide a keyboard and/or atrackpad and/or other controls that are activated for use depending onthe user's needs. This embodiment may be referred to as a “virtualkeyboard.” The controls are invisible when not in use and become visiblewhen in use. In this example, the sensors 8 may be used to detect tapsor touches on the housing surface while an output element 12 such as adisplay or illumination element may be used to provide a control graphicon the housing surface. In one example, the top surface of the base of alaptop computer may be a single continuous housing surface with no orlimited breaks (e.g., openings). It does not include a separate keyboardand/or touch pad situated therein. The top surface is free of one orboth of these devices. In one example, the housing surface is made touchsensitive and is combined with illumination to indicate the keys and/ortouch pad area.

In one embodiment, the keyboard is made visible by detecting theproximity of an object such as a hand or finger near the surface and notvisible when the hand or finger is moved out of the active area of theproximity sensor.

In one embodiment, when device is in sleep mode, graphics within housingmay be used to give limited information without waking the device up.For example, the housing may provide an indication of remaining batterylife. Additionally or alternatively, the housing may provide anindication of a wireless communication signal strength. Theseindications may be visual, audible and/or haptic.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a basic method of operation 220 for adevice implementing the housing I/O interface. The method 220 includesproviding a housing surface with which a user may interact, as indicatedat block 222. The housing surface may be an external surface of ahousing wall that appears as a non-operative surface. That is thesurface appears just as other surfaces of the housing that do notprovide input and/or output functionality to the device. The surface iscontinuous for portions of the housing that provide input/outputfunctionality. External data at or outside the housing surface ismeasured via the surface, as indicated at block 224. The data isinterpreted as input to the device and the device performs an action inresponse to the input, as indicated at block 226. In one embodiment, theaction may include providing feedback to the user via the surface.Specifically, audible, haptic, or visual feedback may be provided to theuser via the surface

FIG. 4 illustrates an example portable computing device 10 having ahousing 12 with integrated I/O. The portable computing device 10 mayrepresent an example embodiment of the device 214 of FIG. 2, forexample. The portable computing device 10 may include a display 14, akeyboard 16, a trackpad 18 and speakers 20. In some embodiments thedevice 10 may also include a camera 19 and/or a microphone 21. Thedisplay 14 and speakers 20 provide output to users and the keyboard 16,trackpad 18, camera 19, and microphone 21 allow users to provide inputto the device 10. While generally providing structure to the device 10,the housing 12 may also provide I/O functionality.

The housing 12 may be plastic, metal, glass, or any other suitablematerial and/or any combination of materials. In some embodiments, thehousing 12 may have small perforations (e.g., micro perforations) toallow light to pass through the housing 12. The small perforations mayrange in size from tens of microns to one millimeter, or any otherappropriate size. The housing 12 includes a lower portion 22 that housesthe keyboard 16, trackpad 18 and speakers 20. In one embodiment, thekeyboard 16, trackpad 18 and speakers 20 may be positioned within thelower housing 22 and accessed via openings in the housing, asillustrated. The lower portion 22 may also include ports 24 forconnecting the device 10 with other devices (not shown). An upperportion 26 of the housing 12 includes the display 14, camera 19 andmicrophone 21. The upper portion 26 may be mechanically coupled to thelower portion with a hinge (not shown).

In addition to the I/O devices that are externally visible to a user,the housing 12 may have one or more sensors and/or actuators that arelocated within the housing (and hidden from view) that provide I/Ofunctionality to the housing 12. Housing I/O is thus achieved. That isthe housing 12 of the device is capable of functioning as an inputand/or output device independent of conventional input/output devices.In housing I/O, the housing 12 does not appear to be an input/outputdevice but, rather, simply appears to be a housing. There are no breaksin the housing 12 to provide for I/O and the surface of the housing usedfor I/O in housing I/O is continuous and of the same material as otherportions of housing 12 that may not provide any I/O functionality. Inone embodiment, there may be sensors and actuators lining the perimeterof the lower and upper portions 22 and 26 of the housing 12, asillustrated by the dashed lines. The sensors and actuators may belocated near and/or coupled to the interior surface of the housing, thusfacilitating a user's access to the housing I/O functionality. Forexample, the sensors and actuators may be located under the surface ofthe housing 12 partially containing the keyboard 16 and trackpad 18.

A simplified block diagram of the portable computing device 10 isillustrated in FIG. 5. As can be seen, the portable computing device 10includes a central processing unit (CPU) 40. The CPU 40 may be anysuitable microprocessor and may include one or more processing cores. Asone example, in some embodiments, the CPU 40 may be a microprocessormanufactured by Intel, such as the 80X86, or Core 2 Duo®) processor, andmay be configured to process data and execute applications and programs.Specifically, the CPU 40 may be configured to operate one or moreoperating systems, such as Mac OS X from Apple or Microsoft Windows, forexample, and applications compatible with the operating systems.

The CPU 40 may be communicatively coupled to other component parts ofthe portable computing device 10. Specifically, in some embodiments, theCPU 40 may be coupled to other component parts of the portable computingsystem 10 via one or more busses. In some embodiments, the portablecomputing device 10 may have multiple busses coupled between the CPU 40and dedicated chip sets, memory or device expansion slots, for example,such as a Northbridge chip, random access memory (RAM) and/or a PCIgraphics board. Busses may also transmit data between chip sets, such asfrom the Northbridge chip to the Southbridge chip and vice versa. Forthe sake of simplicity, however, only a single bus 42 is illustrated.

The example bus structure 42 couples a memory 44, a storage memory 46,the display 14, the keyboard 16, the trackpad 18, and a networkinterface device 48 to the CPU 40. The memory 44 may be dynamic RAM,static RAM, or any other suitable type of memory including flash memoryand read-only memory, for example. The storage memory 46 may be anysuitable storage memory, such as a hard disk drive, semiconductor diskdrive, tape drive, flash drive, etc. The storage memory 46 may storedata, applications, programs, and/or an operating system. The networkinterface device 48 may be coupled to one of the aforementioned ports 24and may allow for the portable computing device 10 to communicate withother devices over a network 50. The display 14 may be coupled to thebus 42 via a video/graphics device 52 that may include dedicated memoryand processor for processing graphics for the display 14. It should beunderstood that some embodiments may include more or fewer componentsand may be configured in a variety of different ways.

The bus 42 may also couple I/O sensors and actuators 60 to the CPU 40.The I/O sensors and actuators 60 may be positioned throughout thehousing 12 to receive input and provide output for the device 10. Inparticular, the sensors and actuators 60 may be located within thehousing 12 in particular regions of the housing 12 or under particularregions or areas of the housing 12 to provide a specific or generalhousing I/O functionality. The sensors and actuators 60 may be coupledto one or more walls of the housing 12, integrated into the housing 12,or within an interior defined by the housing 12.

FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram including one or more I/O sensorsand/or actuators 60 that may be implemented for the housing 12 toprovide I/O functionality. As shown in FIG. 6, the I/O sensors andactuators 60 may include acoustic transducers 62, pressure sensors 64,touch sensors 65, proximity sensors 66, accelerometers 68, light sources70, Light sensors 71 and haptic actuators 72, for example. The acoustictransducers 62 may be, for example, microphones and/or speakers.Microphones may be used to sense when a user taps, scratches, orotherwise touches surfaces of the device 10 housing 12 and speakers maybe used to provide audible feedback to a user. The pressure sensors 64may include capacitive sensors, strain gauge sensors, piezoelectricsensors, resistive sensors, etc. and may be used to determine when auser presses or applies pressure to the housing 12 of the device 1.0.The proximity sensors 66 may include ultrasonic sensors, IR sensors,photosensitive sensors, capacitive sensors, inductive sensors, etc. andare operated to determine when objects, such as users fingers and/orconnectors are near the device 10 or a surface of the device 10. Thelight sources 70 may include light emitting diodes (LEDs), organic LEDs,incandescent light sources, etc. that are actuated to output light thatis generally visible to users. The light sensors 71 may includephotosensitive diodes, photosensitive transistors, etc. The hapticactuators 72 may include vibration actuators, pulsing actuators, etc.that are actuated to provide touch feedback to users. The accelerometers68 may include accelerometers and other devices to determine directionsuch as magnetometers or compass chips, for example. Data provided fromthe accelerometers 68 may be used in combination with input receivedfrom other sensors to determine conditions of use, such as if the useris holding the device, for example, and may be used to provide feedbackto a user and/or auto configure the operation of the device 10, asdiscussed in greater detail below.

The I/O sensors and actuators 60 may be controlled by a microcontrollerunit (“controller”) 74. The controller 74 may be any suitable controllersuch as a model 8742 manufactured by Intel Corporation, or a PIC16F84manufactured by Microchip, Inc. Additionally, in some embodiments, thecontroller 74 may be part of a larger integrated circuit having one ormore microprocessors operating as master controllers and one or moremicroprocessors operating as slave controllers to the mastercontrollers. Accordingly, the controller 74 may be configured to operatein either master or slave modes depending on the particular applicationand configuration. The microcontroller 74 may include hardware and/orsoftware to control actuation and operation of multiple I/O sensors andactuators described in greater detail below. Additionally, thecontroller 74 may be communicatively coupled to the CPU 40 or othercomponent parts of the portable computing device 10.

Electrical signals generated by sensors may be converted to digitalsignals by analog-to-digital converter 76. The digitized signals mayfurther be processed by a digital signal processor (DSP) 78 before beingpassed to the controller 74. Any general of special purpose (specializedfor processing a particular sensor type output) DSP chip can be used. Inan alternative embodiment, DSP algorithms may be executed by the CPU 40itself. In other embodiments, no DSP 78 is used. Rather, the digitizedsignals may go directly to the controller 74, or to the processor 40,which may further process the signals.

The I/O sensors and actuators 60 may be positioned throughout thehousing 12 and configured to enhance a user's experience with the device10. In particular, the I/O sensors and actuators 60 may be configured toreceive input from a user's interaction with the housing 12 and/orprovide output to a user. For example, pressure sensors 64 and/or touchsensors 65 may be located underneath a bezel portion of the upperhousing to sense user interactions with the bezel. Additionally oralternatively, pressure sensors 64, touch sensors 65, proximity sensors66 and/or acoustic transducers 62, etc., may be located underneath asurface of the lower housing 22 to sense user interactions with thelower housing 22. In some embodiments, the sensors may generate signals(input) that may be used to control applications operating on thedevice.

In other embodiments, the signals may be used to control the operationof output devices, as will be discussed below. In particular, thesignals received from housing sensors in housing I/O may actuate outputdevices and/or adjust output parameters of output device. Further,specific types of housing I/O input may be used to control particularfunctions of the put devices.

In one embodiment, for example, pressure sensors 64 or touch sensors 65may be positioned near the speakers 20 to determine when a user touchesor applies pressure to the housing 12 near or over the speakers 20. Thesensed touch or pressure may be converted into an electrical signal andused in a number of ways to provide a desired effect. In one embodiment,the sensing of touch or pressure being applied to the housing 12 nearthe speaker 20 may turn on and/or turn off the speaker 20. Specifically,the pressure sensor 64 may generate an electrical signal correlative tothe amount of pressure being applied over a period of time. In the caseof turning on and off the speaker 20, the generated signal may be animpulse signal that lasts only a fraction of a second resulting from theuser simply tapping a surface near the speaker 20. In anotherembodiment, a more prolonged applied pressure or touch may adjust thevolume of the speaker. For example, if the touch or pressure is appliedfor one or more seconds the generated signal will be interpreted toadjust the volume. If the pressure exceeds a threshold level for one ormore seconds, then the volume may be adjusted upward, whereas if thepressure is below the threshold the volume may be adjusted downward. Inyet another embodiment, if the pressure or touch is applied overmultiple time periods, such as for a period of three of more seconds,for example, and the pressure or touch is relatively consistent (i.e.,no impulses) it may be determined that the pressure or touch is frombeing held and the pressure or touch may be discounted when interpretingsignals from received from the pressure sensor 64. Other signalsgenerated from other types of sensors may similarly be used to achievesimilar functionality in speakers or other devices.

For example, other types of devices such as a camera and microphone maybe similarly operated based on signals generated from sensors that aresubsequently interpreted by a processor. The sensors may be located inareas of the housing adjacent to the camera and microphone. For example,in one embodiment, a pressure sensor or touch sensor may be located inthe housing 12 near the camera to sense interaction with the housingnear the camera. In response to touch or pressure being applied to thehousing 12 near the camera, the touch sensor or pressure sensorgenerates an electrical signal that is directed to the processor whichmay interpret the signal and generate an output signal in response tothe signal. As such, in response to touch or pressure being applied, theprocessor may output a signal to turn on or turn off the camera.Further, in another embodiment, an application operating on thecomputing device 10 may be used to interpret an input. For example, if avideo chat program is currently operating, touch or pressure sensed nearthe microphone and/or camera may activate or turn off the camera and/ormicrophone.

In another embodiment, a portion of the housing 12 that forms a bezel 80for the display 14 may have acoustic transducers 62, pressure sensors64, touch sensors 65, and/or proximity sensors 66 located underneath itssurface. The sensors may be used to receive a variety of user input.Returning to the speaker example, the sensors located in the bezel 80may form a sensor region 82 that may be used to control the volume ofthe speakers 20 and/or provide user feedback. In one embodiment, a firstside (such as the left hand side 82) of the bezel 80 may have sensors 81configured to determine when pressure is applied to the bezel 80 or whenthe bezel 80 is touched. In one embodiment, for example, upward movementof the pressure or touch on the bezel 80 may increase the volume whilemovement downward may decrease the volume. Specifically, an initialtouch or pressure on the bezel 80 may result in one or more sensorsgenerating an electrical signal. As the pressure or touch moves upwardalong the bezel 80, sensors in the path of movement will generateincreasingly stronger signals, while sensors from which the movement isaway will generate weaker signals. The signals of all the sensors may beprovided to the processor which may interpret the increasing anddecreasing signals as indicating a user's intent to increase the volumeand generate an output signal to adjust the volume upward.

Additionally or alternatively, the amount of pressure may act as acommand to increase or decrease the volume. Further, in someembodiments, in response to pressure being applied, tapping on the bezel80 (detected using acoustic transducers 62), or proximity of objects tothe bezel 80 (sensed by the proximity sensors 66) icons or graphics mayappear on the display 14 and/or on the bezel surface 80. The graphicsmay correlate to a particular function that may be controlled by thesensors located in the bezel 80. For example, as shown, the display 14may show a graphical representation 83 of a speaker with bars indicatinga volume level. The graphic may be translucent and overlay images thatare concurrently shown on the display 14. Other operations may similarlybe controlled by obtaining data from sensors located in the bezel 80 andthe processor interpreting the data and providing an output signal toeffectuate an output to the user. For example, in one embodiment, alower portion 84 of the bezel 80 may include sensors (not shown) toprovide sensor data that may be used to control the brightness of thedisplay 14.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a technique 90 for operating thehousing 12 as an I/O device. In particular, the technique 90 may beginby the housing 12 sensing user input, as indicated at block. 92. Uponsensing the user input, the housing 12 (or a sensor coupled to thehousing 12) generates a signal corresponding to the user input, asindicated at block 94. As previously discussed, in some embodiments, thegenerated signal may be correlative to the intensity of the user input.That is, the stronger the user input, the stronger the generated signalwill be.

The generated signal may be converted to a digital signal, as indicatedat block 96, and transmitted to a processor, as indicated at block 98.The processor may then interpret the generated signal. Interpretation ofthe generated signals may include determining the type of user input,where the user input is coming from, i.e., what part of the housing, thestrength of the generated signal, and how long the signal lasts, todetermine what the generated signal means. After interpreting the data,the processor determines whether feedback should be generated based onthe user input, as indicated at block 100, and may generate a signal toprovide feedback, as indicated at block 102.

In addition to or instead of providing feedback, the processor maydetermine whether an operating parameter of the system should be changedin response to the user input, as indicated at block 104. If it isdetermined that the user input is intended to change an operatingparameter, the parameter may be altered, as indicated at block 106. Thealteration of an operating parameter of the system may include adjustingthe volume of speakers or the brightness of the display, turning on oroff devices (e.g., camera, microphone, speaker), initiating anapplication, etc.

After the operating parameters have been adjusted or if no change tooperating parameters is warranted based on the user input, it may bedetermined if input should be provided to a software that is executing,as indicated at block 108. If it is determined that input should beprovided to executing software, the processor may generate processinput, as indicated at block 110. For example, in the event that a mediaplayer application is operating on the system, interactions such aspressure, touch, etc. on particular locations of the housing 12 mayresult in the processor generating input to the application such asinput to control the operation of the application including, forexample, providing input to skip, stop, play, reverse, pause, etc. themedia that is being played by the media player application. In anotherembodiment, the input may be provided in the form of a keystroke, forexample.

It should be understood that the technique 90 illustrated in FIG. 7 ismerely provided as an example. In some embodiments, the order ofexecuting the various steps may be different and may include more orfewer steps and/or different steps. Additionally, the technique 90 maybe iterative and it should be understood as being applicable to one ormore sensors and/or sensing technologies. For example, in a firstiteration, generated signals from a proximity sensor may result in afirst output (i.e. the lights being actuated) and subsequently generatedsignals from a pressure sensor may result in a second output such asadjusting the volume.

FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate an example embodiment implementing thetechnique illustrated by the flowchart of FIG. 7. In FIGS. 8A and 8B,proximity sensors 66 may be located in the housing 12 near the ports 24to detect when objects approach the ports 24. As shown in FIG. 8A, whenno object is detected as being near the ports 24, there is nooutput/feedback provided to a user and the surface of the housingappears to be a non-functional wall, as there are no breaks in thehousing surface for input or output devices.

In response to sensing the user input, i.e., an object approaching theports 24, the proximity sensors 66 may generate a signal. In someembodiments, the generated signal from the proximity sensors 66 may belarger or smaller depending on how close to the ports the user (or anobject) is. Generally, however, interpretation of the input sensed byproximity sensors 66 interpretation may be straightforward, as thedevice 10 may be configured to simply provide feedback when objects arewithin a particular distance, e.g. a few inches, from the ports 24. Thestrength of the signal generated by the sensor 66 may be used todetermine the distance of an object from the ports 24. Specifically, ifthe signal provided to the processor exceeds a determined thresholdsignal strength above which it has been determined indicates an objectbeing within a certain distance from the ports 24, the processor maydetermine to provide feedback. For example, upon sensing an object nearthe ports 24 and generating a signal that exceeds the threshold, theprocessor may generate an output signal to light sources (not shown) sothat icons 97 may be illuminated or may otherwise appear on a topsurface of the housing 12 to indicate the location and types of portsthat are located on the side of the housing 12, as shown in FIG. 8B.

The surface of the housing 12 may be a microperforated surface thatallows light to pass through the surface. In another embodiment, thehousing 12 may be sufficiently thin where light output is to be providedso that light may shine though the housing surface. When notilluminated, the surface of the housing 12 may appear to be the same asother surfaces of the housing 12 that do not provide I/O functionality.The icons 97 may have the same orientation as the actual ports 24 to aidin coupling connectors to the ports 24.

In other embodiments, there may be multiple thresholds provided and timemay be factored into the determination as to whether feedback will beprovided or whether feedback should be ceased. For example, a firstthreshold may be used to determine when an object is within a few inchesof the ports and a particular feedback may be provided, such as aspeaker or light being actuated to provide feedback to a user. As thegenerated signal may increase as the object moves closer to the ports24, one or more additional thresholds may be provided for altering thefeedback provided. For example, if the second threshold is exceeded, thefeedback may increase in intensity (e.g., the intensity of light outputmay increase). In yet another embodiment, a linear or continuoustracking of sensor signal can be applied. That is, the amount ofactuation or variation of operation parameter can be proportional to thestrength of the signal. Additionally, if it is determined that an objecthas been near the ports 24 for an extended period of time, e.g. morethan a few seconds, the feedback, such as light output, may cease. Itshould be understood embodiments related to other functions mayimplement multiple thresholds to help fine adjust parameters, such asvolume, brightness, etc.

Turning to FIGS. 9A and 9B, an alternative embodiment is illustratedwherein a connector 112 may be configured to identify itself to thesystem 10 as it approaches a port or a bank of ports. Specifically, inone embodiment, the connector 112 may be equipped with a radio frequencyidentification (“RFID”) tag 114. The RFID tag 114 may be active orpassive. In one embodiment, the device 10 may poll for RF input, such asinput received from the RFID tag 114 on the connector 112. In anotherembodiment, the device 10 may seek for RF signals only after sensing anobject in proximity to the ports as determined using proximity sensorsincluding RF, IR, inductive, and/or capacitive sensing technologies. TheRFID tag 114 may provide identifying information, such as: the type ofconnector; type of device that is coupled to the connector 112; deviceID; etc. In other embodiments, the RFID tag 114 may simply provide aserial number or other identifier that may allow for identification bythe device 10 using a lookup table or other technique. One or more iconsor lights 116 may be illuminated to indicate a corresponding and/oravailable port. In one embodiment, only the icon representing acorresponding port is illuminated, as indicated in FIG. 9B. Additionallyor alternatively, the port may be identified on the display of thedevice, e.g., “USB.” Additionally or alternatively, the device mayprovide an audible output indicating the port type. For example, thedevice may verbally state “USB” or may simply provide a beep or otheraudible signal to indicate a particular port. In another embodiment, theicon of the corresponding port is illuminated with a color such as greenand other icons may be illuminated another color, such as red, toindicate they do not correspond to the connector. In yet anotherembodiment, the corresponding port graphic may be illuminated morebrightly than non-corresponding ports.

It should be understood that a variety of different icons 116 or imagesor light patterns may be provided. As described above, the icons mayappear like the ports themselves. While this maybe valuable in helpingthe user to orient the connector, in some cases, the ports may tend tolook confusingly similar. As such, it may be useful to so iconicrepresentations for the ports using a port logo (typically appears onthe enclosure). This may be particularly useful for ports like theheadphone/microphone ports, which otherwise look identical.Alternatively, the name of the port may be provided on the surface inconjunction with the port symbol or instead of the symbols.

In yet another embodiment, the icons 116 may be controlled by a “set upassistant” software or other software related setting up the computer orconnecting a device. The set up assistant software may be used to guidea user when setting up a computer for the first time. For example, whenthe computer is first started up (i.e., turned on for the first time bya user), the set up assistant may ask for a mouse and/or keyboard to beconnected and may illuminate the appropriate port icons, such as the USBicons, for example.

Turning to FIG. 1A, another portable computing device 120 is illustratedin accordance with an alternate embodiment. As illustrated, the portablecomputing device 120 includes a substantially smooth surface 122 ratherthan the conventional keyboard 16 illustrated in the portable computingdevice 10 of FIG. 4. The surface 122 is part of the housing 124 of thecomputing device 120 and does not include a separate device builtthrough the housing. As such, the surface is continuous extendingwithout breaks, lines, gaps, etc. The housing 124 includes sensors andactuators 126 shown as dashed lines in FIG. 10B that enable the surface122 to act as an input device for the computing device 120. Stated morespecifically, sensors and actuators 126 are provided underneath thesurface 122 and may provide a virtual keyboard (i.e., an input devicethat imitates the functionality of an actual keyboard but does notappear to be a keyboard unless activated).

The sensors and actuators 126 may be arranged in a variety ofconfigurations. As illustrated, the sensors and actuators 126 may bearranged into sensor/actuator packages 128 that each may include one ormore sensor and one or more actuator. Additionally, the sensors andactuators 126 may be generally arranged in an array pattern or in apattern that mimics an actual keyboard. In one embodiment (not shown)sensors may be arrayed such that the entire area of the surface 122 mayoperate as an input device. In other embodiments, sensors may only beprovided under defined areas of the surface 122. For example, thesensors may be provided under an area that approximates the size anddimensions of a keyboard and/or trackpad and there may be a one-to-onecorrelation between the number of sensors provided and the number ofkeys in a conventional keyboard. In yet another embodiment, there may befewer sensors than light sources located under the surface 122. Forexample, there may be provided an array of light sources and sensors mayonly be provided in between two or more of the light sources. Forexample, sensors may be provided between two light sources or in thecenter of three light sources arranges in a triangle in the array or inthe center of four light sources arranged in a parallelogram in thearray. Determination as to where the surface 122 was struck (and whatkeystroke to register) may be achieved through comparative tracking orother suitable techniques. In one embodiment, the position touched by auser may be determined based on relative amplitude of electrical signalsgenerated by sensors and/or triangulation or other localizationtechnique of those sensors that generated the strongest signal.

A simplified cross-sectional view of the surface 122 and examplesensor/actuator packages 128 that may generally correspond to thekeyboard illustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B is shown in FIGS. 11A-11C. Asshown in FIG. 11A, the sensor/actuator packages 128 may include a touchsensor 65 and/or a pressure sensor 66, light sources 70, and/or a hapticfeedback device 72. A proximity sensor 64 (which may be implemented asan acoustic, light, inductive, capacitive, magnetic, or IR based sensor,for example) may be used to determine when objects are in closeproximity. Although sensor/actuator packages 128 may include proximitysensor 64 in the illustrated embodiment, only a single proximity sensor64 is provided for the entire surface. Alternatively, several proximitysensors 64 may be strategically positioned under the surface toreasonably determine when an object is near or over the surface. Assuch, the proximity sensor 64 may be positioned regionally in betweenthe sensor/actuator packages 128 or in only one or a few sensor/actuatorpackages 128.

In one embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 11B, upon sensing an object inclose proximity to the surface 122, the light sources 70 and hapticfeedback device 72 may activate. In one embodiment, the light sources 70may illuminate to indicate a keyboard configuration. For example, in oneembodiment, the light sources may illuminate to show a QWERTY keyboardconfiguration. Additionally, in some embodiments, the haptic device 72may begin to vibrate at a low amplitude. The vibration creates a “live”surface, thereby providing a different tactile effect to users touchingthe vibrating surface 122 as compared to a surface that is notvibrating. In one embodiment, the live surface may include an area thatapproximates the size and location of a conventional keyboard, forexample. In other embodiments, the live surface may include on a smallarea of a larger surface or may cover an entire contiguous surfacethrough which user input may be provided. Additionally, whileembodiments of the haptic feedback device 72 have been described asoperating in a “vibration” mode, in other embodiments, the hapticfeedback device 72 may provide other types of feedback. For example, thehaptic feedback device 72 may provide mechanical, electromechanical,electromagnetic, piezo, acoustic, thermal, pneumatic, microfluidic, etc.modes that may provide various other types of haptic feedback.

As more than one pressure sensor 66 or touch sensor (not shown) maydetect a touch of the surface 122, the location of the touch may bedetermined based on the relative size or amplitude of the signalgenerated by the sensed pressure between the different sensors. That is,the pressure sensor 66 located the closest to where pressure is appliedwill register the largest sensed pressure. In another embodiment, thelocation of the touch may be determined by using at least sensors thatregister the touch to triangulate the most likely position of the touchon the housing surface. Additionally, signals registered by more thanone sensor type may be used in combination to determine the locationthat surface 122 is touched. For example, proximity sensors, touchsensors, pressure sensors, and/or acoustic transducers may generatesignals that may be used together to determine the most likely locationthe surface 122 was touched.

Upon determining the position of the surface 122 that is touched, thehaptic device 70 located nearest the location may be pulsed to provide ahigher amplitude vibration than the other haptic actuators, as shown inFIG. 11C. The higher amplitude vibration provides feedback to a let auser know that the applied pressure has registered a keystroke. Inanother embodiment, the haptic device 70 may operate in conjunction witha speaker (not shown) so that audible feedback is also provided to auser. In one embodiment, only the haptic device 70 may be active.Furthermore, in order to provide timely haptic feedback, proximitysensors may generate signals in anticipation of contact with the surface122 that may help to determine where the surface 122 is to be touched.

It should be understood that in other embodiments, different sensors andactuators, as well as different combinations of sensors and actuatorsmay be implemented to achieve a desired effect. For example, in oneembodiment, the actuator/sensor package may include an organic LEDconfigured to emanate light through the microperforated surface 122 whenthe proximity sensor senses objects in close proximity or if pressure onthe surface 122 is sensed by the pressure sensor, for example. As such,the keyboard may be “hidden” until one or more of the sensors determinethat a user is interacting with the surface 122.

Additionally or alternatively, in one embodiment the surface 122 mayoperate as a configurable or customizable input surface. Specifically,the output provided on the surface (i.e., lighted symbols, graphics,icons, etc.) may be modified according to a particular environment inwhich the portable computing device 120 is operating or applicationsoperating thereon. As the output of the surface 122 changes or ischanged, input sensed on the surface 122 is correspondingly interpreteddifferently. Specifically, in one embodiment, if the computing device120 is operating a media application to provide media content to a user,such as media from a DVD or other source, a row of sensor/actuatorpackages may change from their default functions, such as operating asfunction keys (e.g., F1 key, F2 key, F3 key, etc.), to function ascontrols for operating the media application. A play button, a rewindbutton, a fast-forward button, a pause button, a stop button, a menubutton, etc. may be provided rather than function keys on the surface122 and the actuation of the buttons will effectuate the operation of aplay button, a rewind button, and so forth, rather than the operation ofa function key.

In yet another alternative embodiment, a user may configure the surface122 to a custom configuration. The system 120 may be configured tooperate in an operating mode and a configuration mode. The system 120may be placed in a configuration mode by initiation of configurationsoftware, actuation of a hardware or software switch, or any othersuitable manner. Once in the configuration mode, a user may defineportions of the surface 122 to provide specified input to the system120. For example, the configuration mode may provide an application inwhich a user can manipulate how touching or applying pressure to certainareas of the surface 122 are interpreted.

In one embodiment, while in the configuration mode, a user's finger maytouch the surface 122 to select a particular portion of the surface thathas been defined to provide a particular input (for example, the usermay touch a region of the surface 122 that has been defined to functionas a number pad). The user may then drag the finger across the surface122 to a desired location on the surface 122 and remove the finger. Thesurface 122 then reconfigures such that the region in which the fingerwas removed from the surface 122 has been redefined to provide inputsignals of the location that the finger originally touched, i.e., thenumber pad. In another example, the user may move the controls forvolume to a desired location on the surface 122. In another embodiment,the application may simulate the surface 122 on the display 14. Thesimulated surface may provide a map of the current surface configurationand the user may manipulate the simulated surface to re-configure howinput from the surface 122 is interpreted by the system 120.

Once the user has reconfigured the surface 122, the configuration may besaved in memory of the system 120 and the surface 122 may operate inaccordance with the reconfiguration. In the reconfigured state, lightsources that provide output indicative of the input provided by aparticular the surface 122 to the system 120 may reflect thereconfigured state. For example, if the number pad has been dragged fromthe right side of the surface 122 to the left side of the surface 122 inthe reconfiguration, the light sources on the left side will cause anumber pad to appear on the left side of the surface 122. In oneexample, an OLED based light source underneath the surface would show areconfigured image in a new location. In another example, an image on amain computer display may show a surface map with indication of wherethe new number pad is located on the surface 122.

FIG. 12A illustrates a tablet computing device 150 in accordance withyet another embodiment. As with the above described embodiments, ahousing 152 of the tablet computing device contains a number ofsensors/actuators 154 similar to embodiments described above. Inparticular, for example, in one embodiment the housing 152 may includetouch sensors, pressure sensors, light emitters, and/or hapticactuators, etc. represented by the sensors/actuators 154 andaccelerometers. Similar to embodiments described above, the housing 152of the tablet computing device 150 may be configured to provide inputand output for the computing device 150. FIG. 12B illustrates across-sectional view of the device 150 showing apertures 156 through anexternal wall of the housing 152. The apertures are microperforations inhousing 152 to allow for output such as light to pass through thehousing 152. The microperforations may be formed in accordance withknown techniques. The microperforations 156 are generally imperceptibleto a naked eye. Thus, the surface of the housing 152 does not appear tobe an input/out device.

In one example, the volume outputted by the device's speakers of thedevice and/or the brightness of the display may be adjusted by touchingor applying pressure to the housing 152. In one embodiment, the amountof pressure may be determinative as to how the volume will be adjusted.For example, a pressure threshold may be provided above which the volumewill be adjusted up and below which the volume may be adjusted down. Inother embodiments, the volume may be adjusted by determining a movementupward or downward on the surface and adjusting the volume accordingly,i.e., adjusting up for a sensed upward movement.

Additionally, the sensors of the sensor/actuator 154 may be useful fordetermining when the tablet computing device 150 is being held and wherethe device 150 is being held. For example, if a user is holding thedevice on a left side of the device 150, the device 150 may sense thetouch and/or pressure resultant from the holding but not be able tointerpret the sensed touch and/or pressure. However, if the touch and/orpressure is applied consistently, i.e., the touch and/or pressure doesnot include intermittent or periodic impulses, and is applied for aprolonged period of time, e.g., more than a second or a few seconds,then the device 150 may determine that the touch and/or pressure appliedto the left side of the device is from the device 150 being held. Hence,the touch and/or pressure sensed from the left side will be discountedas being related to the user holding the device 150 and not interpretedas input from the user to perform a function.

The input from the sensors may be interpreted differently depending onthe context in which user input is received. In one embodiment, sensedinput may be used to unlock or awake the device 150 from a sleep mode.For example, if the device 150 is locked or asleep, upon determining auser handling the device 150 through sensing touch or pressure beingapplied to particular parts of the housing 152 and or movement of thedevice 150, an application or start-up routine may be launched thatrequires certain input to unlock or otherwise bring the device 150 to afully functional state. The housing 152 may be used to receive the inputnecessary to unlock the device. In one example, a user may applypressure to the left side and the right side of the device in somecombination (e.g., left, left, right, right, etc.) to unlock the device.

Additionally, the input from sensors located at a particular area of thehousing 152 may be interpreted differently from input from sensorslocated at other areas of the housing 152. For example, input (such aspressure or touch) sensed by sensors located near a lower edge of thehousing may be interpreted to adjust the brightness of the display,whereas input sensed by sensors located near the right hand side of thehousing 152 may be interpreted to adjust the volume output by speakersof the device 150. In other embodiments, different types of inputreceived from a particular area of the housing 152 may be interpreted indifferent ways. For example, sliding a finger along the lower edge ofthe housing 152 may adjust the brightness of the display, whereas adouble tap to the lower edge of the housing may turn the device onand/or off.

The sensors of the sensor/actuator 154 may also be used in combinationwith the accelerometers to appropriately orient the output of the tabletcomputing device 150. Returning to the example of the user holding thetablet computing device 150 on the left side, if the accelerometerssense a rotational movement about an axis determined to be near wherethe touch or pressure from holding the device 150 is applied, contentdisplayed by the tablet may be rotated commensurately to facilitate auser viewing the content.

Although various specific embodiments have been described above, itshould be appreciated that a single device may implement variousdifferent aspects of the specific embodiments described above. Further,one or more aspect may be implemented in an embodiment without includingother aspects.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An electronic device comprising: a housingwall having at least one exposed surface and an interior surface; one ormore sensors positioned proximate to the interior surface of the housingwall to sense interactions of the wall via the exposed surface andgenerate electrical signals based on the interactions; a controllercommunicatively coupled to the one or more sensors for interpreting thegenerated electrical signals as input to the electronic device andgenerating an output signal; and a housing, wherein the housing wallforms part of the housing, wherein the housing forms an enclosure aroundthe electronic device, and wherein the housing encloses the one or moresensors positioned proximate to the interior surface of the housing walland the controller communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors.2. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the one or more sensorsfurther comprises at least one of a pressure sensor, a touch sensor, aproximity sensor, or an acoustic transducer.
 3. The electronic device ofclaim 1 further comprising at least one output device communicativelycoupled to the controller to receive the output signal, the at least oneoutput device providing output via the housing wall.
 4. The electronicdevice of claim 3 wherein the at least one output device comprising oneor more of a haptic actuator or a light source.
 5. The electronic deviceof claim 1 wherein the at least one exposed surface of the housing wallcomprises a microperforated surface.
 6. The electronic device of claim 1wherein the one or more sensors and the at least one output device arepackaged together in a sensor/actuator package.
 7. The electronic deviceof claim 4 wherein the haptic actuator is configured to cause theexposed surface to provide vibration, mechanical, electromechanical,electromagnetic, piezo, acoustic, thermal, pneumatic or microfluidicfeedback.
 8. The electronic device of claim 4 wherein the light sourcecomprises one or more light emitting diodes or organic light emittingdiodes configured to emit light through the exposed surface of thehousing wall.
 9. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the one ormore sensors comprise a proximity sensor configured to sense an objectproximately located to the exposed surface, the electronic devicefurther comprising at least one output device configured to generate anoutput in response to a proximately sensed object.
 10. The electronicdevice of claim 9 wherein the at least one output device comprises alight emitting diode configured to provide an illuminated icon on theexposed surface of the housing upon the proximity sensor sensing anobject proximately located to the exposed surface wall.
 11. Theelectronic device of claim 9 wherein the at least one output devicecomprises a haptic actuator configured to provide vibration, mechanical,electromechanical, electromagnetic, piezo, acoustic, thermal, pneumaticor microfluidic feedback via the exposed surface of the housing wall.12. The electronic device of claim 9 wherein the one or more sensorsfurther comprises at least one pressure sensor or touch sensor.
 13. Anelectronic device comprising: a housing configured to function as anintegrated housing and I/O device; one or more sensors formed within thehousing, obscured by a panel of the housing, and configured to sense viathe panel of the housing; a processing unit formed within the housing,communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors, and configured tointerpret electrical signals generated by the one or more sensors; andone or more output devices formed within the housing, communicativelycoupled to the processing unit, and configured to provide an output inresponse to the one or more sensors generating an electrical signal. 14.The electronic device of claim 13 wherein at least one of the one ormore output devices provides output via the panel of the housing. 15.The electronic device of claim 13 wherein the one or more sensorsfurther comprises a pressure sensor, a touch sensor or acoustictransducer.
 16. The electronic device of claim 13 further comprising: anaccelerometer; and a display, the display configured to display content,the electronic device being configured to interpret electrical signalsfrom the one or more sensors in conjunction with data provided by theaccelerometer to orient the displayed content.
 17. The electronic deviceof claim 13 wherein the one or more output devices comprise a hapticdevice, a light source, or a speaker.
 18. The electronic device of claim13 wherein the one or more sensors comprise at least one proximitysensor.
 19. An electronic device housing configured to operate aninput/output (I/O) device, the housing comprising: one or more wallsconfigured to house an electronic device, the one or more walls beingexternally exposed and comprising microperforated material; a proximitysensor positioned within an interior of the housing and proximate to theone or more walls and configured to detect an object located at adistance via the one or more walls; a processor coupled to the proximitysensor and configured to process electrical signals generated by theproximity sensor; and at least one light emitting diode positionedwithin the interior of the housing and proximate to the one or morewalls, the at least one light emitting diode actuated by the processorin response to the electrical signals generated by the proximity sensor.20. The electronic device of claim 19 further comprising hapticactuators positioned within the interior of the housing and actuated bythe processor in response to the electrical signals generated by theproximity sensor to provide haptic feedback via the one or more walls.21. The electronic device of claim 20 further comprising one or morepressure sensors, touch sensors or microphones positioned within thehousing proximate to the one or more walls and configured to sense viathe one or more walls, the processor being coupled to the one or morepressure sensors, touch sensors or microphones and providing an impulsesignal to the haptic actuators in response to receiving input signalsfrom the one or more pressure sensors, touch sensors or microphones. 22.A method of operating an electronic device, the electronic device havingone or more surfaces configured to provide housing I/O functionality,the method comprising: operating a proximity sensor to determine whenobjects are proximately located to the one or more housing I/O surfacesof the device, the proximity sensor being obscured at least in part bythe housing of the electronic device and the proximity sensor sensingthrough the housing of the electronic device; and actuating one or moreoutput devices in response to the proximity sensor generating a signalindicating an object being proximately located to the one or morehousing I/O surfaces, the one or more output devices being obscured bythe housing of the electronic device and providing output via thehousing of the electronic device.
 23. The method of claim 22 comprisingactuating one or more input sensing devices in response to the proximitysensor generating a signal indicating and object being proximatelylocated to the one or more housing I/O surfaces.
 24. The method of claim22 wherein actuating one or more output devices comprises providing atleast one of light output, haptic output, or acoustic output through thehousing of the electronic device.
 25. The method of claim 23 whereinactuating one or more input sensing devices comprises actuating at leastone of a touch sensor, a pressure sensor, or a RE antenna.
 26. Themethod of claim 25 comprises providing a virtual keyboard, the virtualkeyboard providing visual and haptic feedback to a user.
 27. Theelectronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the housing includes a baseportion and sidewalls and wherein the housing wall comprises one of thesidewalls, the electronic device further comprising: a connector port inthe housing wall; a light source operable to illuminate an icon in thehousing that represents the connector port; a proximity sensor locatedin the housing wall, wherein the proximity sensor produces a proximitysignal that indicates whether an object is located at a distance fromthe housing wall, wherein the controller is configured to activate thelight source based on the proximity signal.